Please read through the selections from Confucian teaching (pp 111-144) in your Novak anthology. Choose one or two selections from Confucius that you think would be particularly useful reminders in American society today, some things worth learning from Confucian teaching. Explain why you think those ideas particularly important. Please bring your Novak anthology to class. As with the selections on Buddhism, I am more concerned with the quality of your reading than the quantity. It would be great if you could read all 33 pages, but all I really need you to do is to read enough to get a good sense of Confucian thought.
One teaching from Confucius that stood out to me was, “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” I think this is a good reminder for American society today because people do not always think about how their words and actions affect others. If more people treated others the way they wanted to be treated, I think there would be more respect and less division.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea that stood out to me was that a good person should be modest in their words but show who they are through their actions. I think this is important today because people often talk about what they are going to do without actually doing it. Confucius believed that actions matter more than words. To me, both of these teachings are simple ideas, but they are still important today. They remind people to treat others with respect and let their actions show what kind of person they are.
-Jacob Geppert
"Confucian thought is characterized by profound regard for a golden past. Confucius was shaped by, and in turn helped to shape, the renowned Chinese respect for age."
ReplyDeleteAmerica is obsessed with novelty and wanting to be or make something original. Yet often times we don't need to try and reinvent the wheel, but act in accordance to what was already done. There is so much wisdom within history, and if we don't want to repeat the same mistakes that our history has witnessed then we need to know the traditions that came before us.
Andrew Brennan
DeleteOne Confucian idea that I think American society could learn from today is the importance of treating others with respect. Confucius focused a lot on how we treat the people around us and the idea that a better society starts with individuals trying to be better people. I think this is especially important today because people can be very quick to judge or disrespect someone just because they have different beliefs or opinions.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea that stood out to me is that being a good person is something you constantly have to work on. Nobody is perfect, but we can learn from our mistakes and continue improving ourselves. I think American society could use more of this mindset. Instead of always trying to prove that we are right, sometimes we need to listen, learn from other people, and recognize where we could do better.